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French: en position contract

English translation: in a flexed position







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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:en position contractée
English translation:in a flexed position
Entered by:MSH
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8:01pm Feb 2, 2003Login or register (free) for more options.
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Archaeology / archaeology
French term or phrase: en position contract
Dans la Grotte des Enfants, une vieille femme, en position contractée, a été déposée sur le corps d'un jeune homme.
MSH
United Kingdom
in contracted position
Explanation:
laying in contracted position on the left side or right side - i.e foetal position

c'est la terminologie utilisée en matière d'archéologie et de sépultures antiques

Tombes du Nil, Trésor funéraire de la Nubie : LA SEPULTURE ... - [ Translate this page ]
... Le témoignage le plus significatif de cette évolution est l’abandon de la position
contractée, héritée de la préhistoire, au profit de la position ...
www.mairie-villeneuvedascq.fr/histoire/ expositions/egypto/expo/sepnapa.htm

Ancient Cyprus webproject
... populations of Asia Minor. The inhumation prevails and the dead is
laying on the right side in contracted position.

Kurgan Culture
... wall on the slope approaching the fourth side. ... containing single burials in a contracted
position, with pottery ... her golden crown is visible - laying a golden ...
Description: Detailed description of the archaeological findings associated with the "Kurgan culture",...
Category: Science > Social Sciences > ... > Proto-Indo-European
www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/Kurgans.htm - 55k -
Selected response from:

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Note from asker to answerer
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5the curled up body of an old woman was draped over a child...zaphod
4 +1in contracted position
Jean-Luc Dumont
4 +1in a contracted pose
William Stein
4stiffened (posture), or just stiff or rigid state, condition
Catherine Johnstone
3in a tight positionEthele Salem Sperling
2In a fetal position ?
Christopher Crockett


  

Answers

5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
in a contracted pose

Explanation:
or more idiomatically :
hunched up
bent over
These idiomatic terms sound better but they're riskier unless you really know in what way the old lady was "contracted"

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Note added at 2003-02-02 20:08:26 (GMT)
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More alternatives:
in a crouched position
huddled up


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Note added at 2003-02-02 20:11:01 (GMT)
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More alternatives:
in a crouched position
huddled up


William Stein
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree ssh: the best. It is not precised if it was a foetal position. And after thousands of years, they are usually stiffened :-)
3 hrs
  -> And for all we know, she might just be a pile of bones!
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
in a tight position

Explanation:
just an idea!

Ethele Salem Sperling
United States
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
In a fetal position ?

Explanation:
Just a guess, sometimes used in burials.

Though what "été déposée sur le corps d'un jeune homme" could mean I couldn't possibly say without more context.

I've never seen the French phrase.

Christopher Crockett
United States
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
the curled up body of an old woman was draped over a child...

Explanation:
Curled up

zaphod
France
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral Jane Lamb-Ruiz: how can you drape something that is curled up? placed?
2 hrs
  -> I doesn't writes 'em, I just translates 'em
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
stiffened (posture), or just stiff or rigid state, condition

Explanation:
"was deposited over" so probably after her own death...the F "position contractée" is a bit odd...

Catherine Johnstone
France
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in EnglishEnglish
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
in contracted position

Explanation:
laying in contracted position on the left side or right side - i.e foetal position

c'est la terminologie utilisée en matière d'archéologie et de sépultures antiques

Tombes du Nil, Trésor funéraire de la Nubie : LA SEPULTURE ... - [ Translate this page ]
... Le témoignage le plus significatif de cette évolution est l’abandon de la position
contractée, héritée de la préhistoire, au profit de la position ...
www.mairie-villeneuvedascq.fr/histoire/ expositions/egypto/expo/sepnapa.htm

Ancient Cyprus webproject
... populations of Asia Minor. The inhumation prevails and the dead is
laying on the right side in contracted position.

Kurgan Culture
... wall on the slope approaching the fourth side. ... containing single burials in a contracted
position, with pottery ... her golden crown is visible - laying a golden ...
Description: Detailed description of the archaeological findings associated with the "Kurgan culture",...
Category: Science > Social Sciences > ... > Proto-Indo-European
www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/Kurgans.htm - 55k -

Jean-Luc Dumont
France
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Yolanda Broad: But remember the difference between "to lie" (intransitive) and "to lay" (transitive) ;-)
3 days18 hrs
  -> merci :) http://www.tesol.org/pubs/articles/2002/tm12-2-04.html
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